


Naming

by RekaStormborn



Series: The Ties That Bind [1]
Category: Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter - Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Multi, Vampires, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 11:56:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18549283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RekaStormborn/pseuds/RekaStormborn
Summary: The Wicked Truth always go together.  This has been true for centuries, but has it always been so?  How did the brothers become bound so closely that they do not need words to understand one another?  It happened long ago, in a village where they were first called Truth and Wicked.





	Naming

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank vixenonthemoor for inspiring this story (and much of my Wicked Truth plots in the series) and to MandaLyn and Nicola who were my original beta readers when this story was originally posted in 2013 on a different fan site.  
> How to pronounce Taibhsear. The “t” is soft, as in “ta” or “Tom.” The “ai” is pronounced like the “a” in “far.” The “bh” is pronounced like a “v.” The “s” is pronounced as it is in English. The “ea” is pronounced like the “e” in “whet” or “survey.” The “r” is pronounced fairly similar to that in English. So the name would be pronounced something along the lines of “Tav-sayer” with the second half being a single syllable.

Their feet touched down on the beach at the same moment.  Since their master brought them over, they had been able to work in complete harmony and synchronization.  Calm gray eyes turned to meet their blue gray counterparts and the brothers nodded to one another.  After only a few years, their master had sent them out with others of their line to do the bidding of the Council, but now, only a short decade after their first mission, they were sent out alone.  Their master trusted no one else to be able to hide from an entire community of witches.

With another nod to each other, the two brothers took to the air once more.  There was a Master of the City just south of the wall that would shelter them when dawn came and from there they would proceed north into the wild country where the native witches hid from the Romans.

~

Taibhsear blinked down at the fire, groaning as she eased from her kneeling position.  The visions took her at such odd moments, and her limbs were stiff from being still for too long.

“What did you see, my child,” Grandmother asked from behind her.

“Two brothers,” she answered, closing her eyes so that she could see their faces clearly.  “They look so alike they could be twins, but one is older by almost a year.  The elder has fair hair, no beard, and eyes like the loch on a gray winter morning.”  She had never seen such handsome men before, even in her visions, which were the only places she had ever seen a man.  “The younger has dark hair, a shade just between brown and black, with eyes like an iron blade, and stubble on his chin.”

“And what did you see of these brothers?”  No matter when or where her visions came, Grandmother was always there to ask about them, interpret them, and use them to guide the village and help those in need.

“They were flying,” Taibhsear answered, remembering the feel of wind in her hair as her spirit soared with them.  What a joy it would be to fly in truth.

“And?” Grandmother asked a thread of impatience in her voice.

“They came to our shores this night, and go to the wall before dawn,” Taibhsear answered quickly not wanting to anger the aging witch who had cared for her since her birth eighteen winters before.  “They have been sent to find a village full of witches.  There is one among them who must not live.”

Taibhsear’s eyes flew open and she turned to face Grandmother, fear spreading through her.  “They are coming for us,” she whispered.  “They are to kill the Seer and any who protect her.”  Taibhsear knew that she would survive even their attempt on her life, for Grandmother was known as the Seer and no one in the village would contradict the lie if Grandmother were attacked.  No one ever saw the true Seer; it was safer for it to be so.  It was not the first time someone had been sent to kill her.  She had only been the Seer for the past ten years, since her visions began, but already three women in their village had died because assassins were sent to kill the Seer.

“Do not fear, child,” Grandmother said, petting her jet black hair.  “You have seen them come, and told me of their intent.  We will survive, as we always have.”

“But they are great warriors,” Taibhsear protested, remembering their thoughts of pride that they were sent out alone.  “They can hide what they are, even from those with our gifts.”  She knew no name for what these two men had become more than a decade ago, but she knew in her heart that they were dangerous beyond anything their village had encountered before.

“Hush,” Grandmother soothed, still petting Taibhsear’s hair.  “No harm will come to you.  It was seen many years before your birth.”

“What was seen?” Taibhsear asked, raising her head to look at Grandmother’s pale eyes.

“When I was a young woman, and first given the responsibility of caring for and guiding the Seer, she saw a vision of you.  These two brothers have an important role to play, and you must meet your destiny and theirs, or they will suffer greatly for it.”

“Yes, Grandmother,” Taibhsear said, bowing her head once more.  If a Seer before her knew that the brothers would come and that she would survive their coming, then she had nothing to fear.  Never had the visions failed her people.

~

They woke hours before nightfall, much to the surprise of their host.  He knew their master, and how few years had passed since they were turned.  The brothers could see the fear in his eyes as he looked at them.  It was a look they were accustomed to and the elder brother smiled, enjoying the hint of fear that moved through a room with their presence.

“Come, brother, let us depart,” the younger advised as soon as the sun was set.  He had no desire to remain among those who cowered at their passing.  He would rather fly north and be done with things.

“So impatient, brother,” was the laughing response as they walked away from their host.  Both looked forward to the challenge before them and the reward they would receive in completing their task.

Once outside the ancient castle, the brothers took to the air once more, flying north and allowing their instincts to guide them to the power they were sent to destroy.  They landed together in a clearing not far from the village.  They could taste the power on the air.  Never in the memory of any at court had so many witches gathered together in peace.  They were usually as territorial as the shapechangers or vampires.

“So you have come,” a woman said from the woods, stepping from the trees before them.

The brothers each took a step away from the other, hands on their swords.  It was unlike them to not notice the presence of someone so near, especially a witch, for she was definitely a witch, her pale eyes bright with power.

“She was right.  You are dangerous,” the woman said, her fine white hair moving as she nodded.  “But it was seen long ago.  You will not harm her.”

“Who are you?” the elder brother demanded, his eyes never leaving the witch before him.  He could see his brother keeping watch for others approaching.

“I am the Keeper,” the old woman said.  “I am the one who will give you a choice.”

“What choice?” the younger inquired, his voice far less passionate than his brother’s.

“Either you give your word of honor that you will do her no harm, or one of you dies here and now,” was the woman’s answer, her eyes focused on the elder brother.

“Or you could die now,” he offered, taking a step toward her.

The woman laughed, and the younger brother hissed, his hand going to his chest where a dark curving line of blood was forming from his shoulder to the opposite hip.

“You are quick,” the old woman said once again where she stood before but now with a dagger in her hand.  “But I am magic and you cannot defeat me here in my place of power.”

The younger brother drew his sword, holding it across his body in a defensive posture.

“Why give us a choice when you could kill us now?” the elder brother asked, his sword still sheathed.

“You have a great destiny,” the old woman said, her eyes meeting his with no hint of fear.  “Come with me, let her make you what you have the potential to be, and return to your masters.  None will question you, for they will believe it is the blood you drained from her which gave you the power you will return with.  Refuse me, and you must choose which of you dies tonight.”

“Not both of us?” the younger brother asked, his eyes narrowing as he studied the aging witch.

“To kill both would serve no purpose,” the witch answered.  “Part of your destiny one could do, but to reach that which is your true purpose both must live and become something more.”

The brothers’ eyes met and they both knew what the other would answer.  Long before they were brought over, they had vowed to go together, always the same, always by each other’s side.  This would be no different.

“We will go with you,” the elder said.

“And we will do no harm,” the younger agreed, sheathing his sword.

The old woman smiled.  “Come,” she said and turned to lead them away.

As they walked into the village, the men and women still moving about saw only the Keeper and two warriors.  Even as they passed near enough to touch, none of the witches saw what they were.  Their master had been right to trust that they could indeed fool an entire community of witches.  However, he had not counted on these witches expecting them.

The men and women did murmur to one another when the Keeper led the warriors into her own hut.  Something important must have been happening.  No one saw the Seer, yet these two strangers were invited into the very place the Seer lived.

~

Taibhsear stayed behind the curtain, kneeling on her pallet, just as Grandmother had instructed her.  The curtain allowed her to see across their little dwelling without being seen.  She still cradled the cup in her hands, even though she had finished the brew Grandmother gave her.  It had tasted strange, and she felt flushed now that she had drunk it, but in her heart, she knew that Grandmother would never give her something harmful.

She held her breath when Grandmother returned with the two warriors following behind her.  Taibhsear’s pulse sped as she watched the brothers kneel by the fire facing Grandmother.  It let her see them easily from her hiding place.  She frowned when she saw the blood on the younger one.

Taibhsear put a hand over her mouth when Grandmother laid the dagger on the table beside her chair.  It had blood on the tip.  Grandmother said they had nothing to fear.  Why had she harmed one of them?

“You were sent to destroy the Seer,” Grandmother said, her voice calm with a hint of power behind it.

The brothers nodded, the younger watching Grandmother, but the elder’s eyes flickered to where Taibhsear hid.

“Your masters are fools,” Grandmother informed them.  “Over hundreds of winters no one has been able to harm the Seer.  They have tried many times before and lost many fine warriors in the process.”

“They were not us,” the younger replied calmly.  His voice carried the sound of some other language but Taibhsear could feel the truth of what he said.  Had she not known they were coming, they might have succeeded.  Even then, with them before her very eyes, she could only sense that they had power, not what sort of creatures they were.

“This is true.  Had your fate not lain elsewhere, you might have succeeded,” Grandmother agreed.

“We would have,” the younger brother insisted.

“You speak truth,” Grandmother answered.  “And your brother would have become legend for his wickedness, not the great deed you will do together.”

The words rang in Taibhsear’s mind.  The younger brother always spoke truth; it was his nature, his gift, his strength.  And his brother was indeed wicked.  She did not understand the feeling she was getting about what he could do, but she knew it to be wicked and his conscience clear.

“You already feel the draw of her,” Grandmother said, her eyes shifting to the fairer brother.

His eyes returned to Grandmother, and Taibhsear realized he had been staring at the curtain behind which she hid.

“You have given your word to do no harm, and I know you will keep it,” Grandmother said.  “Already you begin to understand what must be done,” she continued, her gaze returning to the darker brother.  “You must be gone from here before dawn.”

The brothers nodded together, movements perfectly synchronized.

Grandmother stood, her eyes finding Taibhsear as she turned.  “Instinct will guide you.  A Binder of Souls always knows what she must do.”  After those shocking words, Grandmother left, closing the door to the hut behind her and leaving Taibhsear alone with the two warriors.

Taibhsear had heard the tales of the Binder of Souls.  A witch so powerful she could tie the very souls of others to herself or whoever she chose.  Taibhsear had always understood the bonds that held those around her but could it be true that she was such a power as to be a Binder of Souls?

Taibhsear’s eyes darted back to the brothers as they stood together and approached her hiding place.  Grandmother told her instinct would guide her.  All it was telling her to do at that moment was stay very still.

It was the elder brother who pulled the curtain aside, revealing her where she knelt on her pallet looking up at them.  They crouched together, so she did not need to crane her neck to see their faces.

“You need not fear us,” the darker brother told her.

“I know,” she answered, looking into his eyes.  They blazed like gray fire for a moment before he closed them.  He did not want to capture her with his power and she wondered why.

“It is not fear that speeds her heart, brother,” the other said, and Taibhsear turned to him.

He smiled, his eyes blazing as well, but he did not hide them from her.  He would let her fall if she could.  Taibhsear knew that she would never fall.  A Binder of Souls never fell under the sway of any magic she did not choose once she grew into her power and Taibhsear reached the full potential of her magic three winters ago.

“Does this surprise you?” she asked, her hand coming up to touch his cheek.  His skin was slightly cool under her fingers.

“No,” he said with a soft chuckle.

“It pleases you,” she answered, understanding a bit more of his wickedness.

She set the cup aside so that she could touch his brother as well.  It was important that she touch them both.  Grandmother told her to follow her instincts.

Both brothers cried out when her fingers touched the younger’s rough cheek.  She could feel the essence of them, already bound so closely, and she drew it closer.  Grandmother was right; they could be something truly great were they only bound more closely.  As the thought moved through Taibhsear’s mind, her eyes closed and she could see their souls like a pair of shadows behind her eyes, one gray and one gray blue.  She let the two meld and merge, listening to the soft sigh from the brothers before her.

When she opened her eyes, both brothers were touching her, a hand on either side of her waist.  They had large hands, and she was small for a woman.  The elder brother moved his head, rubbing his cheek along her hand.

“You are power,” he murmured, as both brothers shifted to their knees.

“Power enough to drown in,” his brother added, turning his own cheek into her palm and kissing her wrist.

“Let us feel more of your power,” the elder requested, also kissing her wrist.

Taibhsear hesitated.  She had done what her magic desired to do.  What more were they asking of her?

Before she could voice the question, the strong hands on her waist drew her forward so that she came to rest across their laps.  It felt as if fire rushed up her skin, spreading warmth through her in a wave.

“Let us,” the younger brother pleaded, kissing her neck.

“And let us make it wonderful,” his brother added, kissing the other side of her neck.

“You would do something wicked, and that I cannot do,” she murmured, part of her regretting what she said.  They were too young for her to risk it.  Were they older it would be safe.

“It will hurt otherwise,” the younger brother said, leaning back to look at her face.

“Truth,” she answered him, meeting those gray eyes.  “But it matters not.”

He nodded as if he truly understood and leaned down to kiss her neck once more.

“They will know if you do not,” Taibhsear whispered, closing her eyes and waiting.  They had to be able to answer truthfully that they drank from her.  It would be assumed that she did not survive and that would protect her for a time from further attempts and them from discovery.

“I would rather not cause you pain,” the elder brother said, regret heavy in his voice.  “Why can you not let us be…”

“Wicked?” she asked, laughing softly.  “If I let you, it would be the death of me.”  For a moment she considered allowing them, but then she saw the face of a young girl with the elder brother’s blond hair and the young brother’s gray eyes on her own face and knew that she spoke the truth.  If she let them touch her she would not hold back and like every Seer before her, she would die bringing her child into the world.

“Very well,” the elder brother whispered before they struck.

Taibhsear gasped.  They were right, it hurt.  She could feel her magic flowing out with her blood as they cradled her between them.  Their master had told them to drink from her, to drain her dry and take her power for themselves as they took her life.  With the power they would gain from her gift and her blood, no one would ever question the success of their mission.

Taibhsear smiled, her eyes closing as she saw the smiling faces of the family they would one day find in a faraway place with strange castles and magic lights.  She felt nothing when the brothers pulled away and gently laid her on her pallet.

Gray eyes met gray blue and the brothers rose together.  The girl’s heartbeat was strong and steady, the blood no longer flowing from the punctures on her neck.  She would wake and perhaps remember them.  They did not need words between them.  They would never forget the small witch whose power flowed through their veins.  They would always remember the tiny woman who named them.

**Author's Note:**

> Taibhsear means “one having second sight, seer” according to a translation from http://www.lexilogos.com/english/gaelic_scottish_dictionary.htm. It is Scottish Gaelic (the “B. Beag” button on the website). I do not speak any form of Gaelic and the pronunciation at the beginning is an approximation based on the book A Guide to Gaelic Conversation and Pronunciation by L. Macbean which I found access to on-line.  
> The wall mentioned in the second paragraph is Adrian’s Wall in Scotland, sometimes called Hadrian’s Wall.


End file.
